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SURFLINE CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2005

SEAN COLLINS’ FORECASTS FOREVER ALTERED THE SPORT & LIFESTYLE

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, HUNTINGTON BEACH, California – Monday, April 11, 2005 – Surfline, the world’s most popular surf report and forecast service, is celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2005. The revolutionary company changed the sport, lifestyle and industry of surfing with its debut of an extensive network of reporters and telephone surf reports in 1985. But it was the introduction of groundbreaking forecasting technology by Sean Collins that accurately tracked ocean swells thousands of miles in the distance that forever altered the surf landscape.

In the years since its debut, Surfline continues to define the state-of-the-art. Collins’ forecasting allows modern big wave pioneers like Brad Gerlach and Mike Parsons to discover and chase behemoths never before imagined. Contest organizers, industry executives, media outlets, Hollywood producers and even the Coast Guard rely on his expertise. Surfline’s LOLA computer model, wireless capability and the instructive “Surfology Series” continue this evolution and save users of the service time and money. Earlier this month automobile manufacturer Nissan added Surfline’s surf report to an advertising billboard on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles County.

"It blows me away how Surfline has developed over the last 20 years," says Sean Collins, President and Chief Forecaster. "What was initially a way for a few of us to keep surfing as we accepted more responsibility like families, jobs, and mortgages, has turned into a service that has literally helped millions of people - surfers, beachgoers, and lifeguards alike. The sport of surfing has been changed forever as surfers can now plan their time around the waves, and I'm sure the next 20 years will bring even more improvements as we continue to grow our products and services."

Surfline was launched as the 976-SURF dial-up service in 1985 (pre internet), which offered the world’s first commercially available surf reports and forecasts via phone. Prior to the introduction of Surfline, many believed that accurate surf forecasting, especially for waves generated in the South Pacific, was physically impossible. The company and the self-taught Collins not only proved the skeptics wrong, it allowed surfers, for the first time ever, to schedule their lives around their favorite sport.

Before Surfline, the famous saying was "Surfs Up!" That was the call to drop everything and go surfing, because there were no forecasts back then to alert people to an impending swell. That meant no full-time commitments like jobs, mortgages, etc. As a result, surfers were often regarded as "beach bums." After Surfline’s debut, the new saying was "Know Before You Go." Surfline’s extended forecasts (up to 10 days in advance) have offered wave riders the opportunity to plan their schedules around forecasted periods of good surf.

The 1995 debut of www.surfline.com, featuring online text reports from key surf spots around the country, was an instant success. Surfline’s first "surf-cam" was set up the next year at Huntington Beach, using a security camera. Since then, Surfline has built the Internet's largest surf camera network, and has literally brought the sport to life via real-time, streaming video from nearly 100 international locations around the world. Over 60,000 people visit the award-winning site each day and Surfline.com is the undisputed leader in page views, registered users, paid subscribers and advertising revenue among surf-related websites.

In 2001, Surfline took yet another major step forward with the introduction of LOLA, the world's first, computer-generated surf forecasting tool. LOLA uses the NOAA Wavewatch III engine with Surfline-modified data and is corrected on the fly with information assimilated from various sources like wave measuring satellites, buoys, etc. LOLA combines this information with empirical data that's been programmed into her from years of hands-on surf and weather analysis conducted by Collins and Surfline's team of forecasters. The end result is the most timely, accurate and comprehensive surf forecasting device ever built.

In late 2003, Surfline produced the first surf movie (Making the Call, Big Waves of the North Pacific) to combine the sciences of oceanography and meteorology with the universal appeal of surfing. MTC’s success laid the groundwork for the introduction of the Surfline Surfology Series, an ongoing compilation of books, posters and videos about the science of surfing. And Surfline recently made the move to wireless. Surfline Mobile showcases the company’s unique content -- including live camera images -- on the cell phones of most major carriers.

“Surfline has become the modern incarnation of surf media, breaking new ground in a crowded marketplace, while forever altering how surfers garner information about waves and weather,” said Surfline marketing director Dave Gilovich. “Surfline's goal has always been to be the ultimate medium for the fulfillment of the surfing lifestyle. A compelling mix of surf reports, forecasts, news, advice and entertainment, and helping users incorporate this information in a way that benefits their lives.”

To mark its 20th anniversary and to honor all the loyal customers who have supported the company since 1985, Surfline will present a series of articles, sweepstakes, parties and press functions throughout the year – all of which will be chronicled online in a special website titled www.surfline.com/20.


About Surfline:
Surfline is the leading provider of surf report and forecast information to consumers, businesses and government agencies worldwide. Headquartered in Huntington Beach, California, Surfline delivers timely, accurate and comprehensive data on a daily basis via phone, fax, wireless web and the Internet. The company’s world-renowned website, Surfline.com, is visited by the largest and most loyal audience of surf and beach enthusiasts in the world. Since 1985, Surfline has merged premier surf report and forecast talent with industry-leading technology to produce “must-have” content of unparalleled quality aimed at active participants in the sports of surfing, windsurfing, bodysurfing and bodyboarding. Consumer information is available at http://www.surfline.com. Media can contact MKM at (714) 375-2188.